BONUS: Are You Deficient in C15:0? – The Fastest Way to Improve Sleep, Mood & Metabolic Health with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson

Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Cynthia Thurlow

Alternative Health, Nutrition, Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We have another episode in a series of discussions with well-vetted guests from companies that I feel my community would benefit from hearing about Today, I speak with Dr. Stephanie Venn Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist and the co-founder and co-CEO of Serafina Therapeutics. She has worked with the World Health Organization, DARPA, and the US Navy. She has over 70 patents and has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and her discoveries have featured on NPR, Science Friday, BBC, NBC, and National Geographic. Her groundbreaking discoveries around the health benefits of C15:0 are the topic of a recent book. In our conversation today, we explore longevity molecules and geno-protective molecules, why they matter, and how they work. We cover the basics of rapamycin and glucophage, then dig into the growing body of research on longevity and lifespan, specifically looking at C15:0, what it is, what it does, why it’s important, and how it’s the first essential fatty acid discovered in decades. We look at its wide-ranging pleiotropic effects on metabolic health, mood, sleep, the brain, gut, and immunity, as well as the signs of low C15:0 levels and the specific labs that can identify a deficiency. We also talk about the benefits of supplementation and improved bioavailability. Since I have been taking C15:0 myself over the last four to five months and noticed improvements in my recovery and sleep, I’m excited to share this informative and helpful conversation, humbly dedicated to the essential saturated fatty acid, C15:0. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: • The role C15:0 plays in guiding the aging process and new findings about its benefits for the immune system, brain, and longevity • C15:0’s emerging importance as a key player in metabolic balance • What Dr. Venn-Watson’s animal studies revealed about the mechanisms of aging in humans • Why women in midlife become more vulnerable to shifts in immune quality and cellular resilience • The ways nutritional deficiencies can appear in blood markers long before symptoms develop • What occurs with red blood cell stability and aging markers when C15:0 levels are too low • Which biomarkers are now being considered early indicators of biological aging • Formulation features of C15:0 that enhance its bioavailability • The multiple bodily systems that can benefit from supplementing with C15:0 Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ & ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Check out Cynthia’s ⁠website⁠ Submit your questions to ⁠[email protected]⁠ Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community (The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow) ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/themidlifepause⁠ Cynthia’s ⁠Menopause Gut Book ⁠is on presale now! Cynthia’s ⁠Intermittent Fasting Transformation⁠ Book ⁠The Midlife Pause supplement line⁠ Connect with Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson ⁠Fatty 15⁠ ⁠Discover C15:0⁠ ⁠Seraphina Therapeutics⁠ On⁠ LinkedIn⁠

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Everyday Wellness Podcast.
0:03.7	I'm your host, nurse practitioner, Cynthia Thurlow.
0:07.4	This podcast is designed to educate, empower, and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals.
0:13.9	My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the health and wellness industry each week and
0:21.5	impact over a million lives.
0:28.7	Today is another in a series of highly vetted podcast guests for companies that I think my community would benefit from learning more about. Today I
0:40.1	spoke with Dr. Stephanie Van Watson, who is a veterinary epidemiologist and co-founder and co-CEO
0:48.0	CEO of Serafina Therapeutics. She has worked with the World Health Organization, DARPA, and
0:53.2	the U.S. Navy, and has authored over 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has over 70 patents.
1:00.2	Her discoveries have been featured on NPR Science Friday, BBC, NBC, and National Geographic.
1:06.3	And her groundbreaking discoveries around the health benefits of C-15 are the topic of a recent book,
1:13.6	as well as our conversation today.
1:16.6	We spoke at length about what are longevity molecules as well as genoprotective molecules and why they matter.
1:24.6	We spoke about the basics around rapamycin and glucophage, research
1:29.8	around longevity and lifespan, specific research on C-15, what it is, what it does, and why it's
1:37.4	important, and how it is the first essential fatty acid discovered in decades, how it has multiple
1:43.6	pleiotrophic effects that impact
1:46.7	metabolic health, mood, sleep, and brain, as well as gut and immunity, signs of low C-15 in the
1:54.7	body, and specific labs that will identify a deficiency. And last but not least, benefits from supplementation and greater
2:03.1	bioavailability. I have very transparently shared that on my own, I've been taking C-15
2:08.6	over the last four to five months because I have documented low levels of C-15 through fatty
2:14.6	acid analysis. I've seen improvement specifically in recovery and even sleep.
	...

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